Elastic bandages generally have to be placed on the hand or wrist by another individual. It is nearly impossible to place such bandages on one's own hand or wrist since both hands are required for the wrapping procedure. One hand is required to hold the free end of the elastic bandage in place while the other hand is used to wrap the bandage about the area being treated. This is particularly true where the hand or wrist being wrapped is injured or incapacitated.
Many individuals do not have help readily available. For example, many individuals such as the aged who are often alone could benefit by an effective wrist wrap to strengthen the hand and wrist to avoid injury during certain activities, for corrective therapy or for relief from discomfort in certain debilitating conditions such as arthritis.
Elastic wraps for the hand and wrist are also frequently used by athletes and others to guard against sprain and to reinforce otherwise weak joints during strenuous activities. Wrapping is sometimes done by trainers or fellow athletes. But instances do occur quite frequently where there is no one or no time available to assist with the lengthy wrapping procedures.
There is therefore a need for an elastic wrap that can be easily and quickly applied without the assistance of others.
Gloved or tubular wrist braces have been introduced in attempts to fill the above need. Examples of such are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,047,250; 3,533,407; and 3,710,790. These devices are commonly received over the hand or wrist and provide minimal capability for adjusting to size, tension, or the particular needs of the wearer. They function well only for the specific purposes envisioned in their design.
Other "wrap around" bandages have been introduced, differing from the glove or tube type by their elongated elastic structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,525 discloses an elastic wrap having a flange at one end that will facilitate gripping by the hand being wrapped. The structure is intended strictly for use in wrapping an area of the wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,304 discloses a hand guard or grip including an elongated flexible strap with finger holes at opposed ends for attachment to specific fingers of the wearer's hand. The wrap functions strictly as a wear guard across the palm of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,939 to Stubbs discloses a wrist support formed of a single elongated strap. The strap includes a thumb receiving recess which can be closed about the base of the wearer's thumb prior to a final wrapping about a specific area of the wrist. The thumb opening is used to locate the wrap in proper relation to the wearer's wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,991 discloses a wrist brace making use of a glove or sleeve arrangement having thumb hole formed therein. The glove member is fixed to an elongated elastic wrap extending from an end attached to the glove at the wrist area to a free end. The elongated wrap can be wound about the wrist and hand area to secure a rigid brace member on the back surface of the glove in a specific position spanning the wearer's hand and wrist.
The above references all disclose various forms of braces and wraps directed to fairly specific applications. While some may offer the capability of being applied by the wearer, none until the present invention have provided the versatility needed to correct, protect, or relieve discomfort from various forms of disorders that can occur in the hand and wrist areas.